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Drilling promises don't win Florida lawmakers' votes

By WES ALLISON
Published July 29, 2005

WASHINGTON - Florida lawmakers won a last-minute pledge from a powerful House committee chairman to seek long-term protections for the state's coast, but it wasn't enough to win most of their votes on the federal energy bill.

With the vote looming Thursday, Florida Reps. Cliff Stearns and Mike Bilirakis struck an agreement with Rep. Richard Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, to work on future legislation that would codify protections against oil and gas drilling.

But the deal lacked specifics, and their Florida colleagues were wary of a provision in the bill that mandates an inventory of gas and oil reserves in all U.S. waters, including Florida's. Many say they fear the inventory will be a precursor to drilling.

The delegation had met several times before Thursday's vote to discuss how to proceed. While the bill passed the House easily, 275-156, all but three of the Florida's 25 House members voted against the bill: Bilirakis, R-Tarpon Springs, Stearns, R-Ocala, and John Mica, R-Winter Park, whose brother heads the Florida Petroleum Council.

"Floridians have made it loud and clear they don't want drilling," Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Crystal River, said after voting against the energy bill Thursday afternoon. "I didn't have a warm fuzzy feeling that Florida would be protected."

Stearns and Bilirakis, who served on the negotiating committee that reconciled the House and Senate versions of the bill, had unsuccessfully tried to remove the inventory provision, at least for Florida.

When they failed, Pombo and Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, agreed to discuss creating some long-term protections, including a 100-mile buffer around the state's coast.

But several Floridians expressed concerns that any such deal would allow drilling in a large part of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, known as Lease Area 181, about 250 miles off Tampa Bay. The Bush administration has expressed interest in allowing drilling in that area.

A spokesman for Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said agreeing to an only 100-mile buffer would be "the biggest sellout in Florida history," and that Nelson would take whatever steps are available to prevent such a swap. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said he would oppose it, too.

"I love permanent protections. I love the 100-mile buffer" for unprotected parts of the state, including the east coast and the waters off the Florida Keys, Martinez said Thursday. "But I have not opened my mind up to leasing in 181. The gulf is one ecosystem."

Bilirakis, who serves on the energy committee, said he would seek approval from other Florida House members, as well as Nelson, Martinez and Gov. Jeb Bush, before pushing any legislation.

The energy bill quickly moved to the Senate, where it was expected to pass today. Nelson and Martinez had planned to vote against it.

In a procedural move called a colloquy, Stearns and Bilirakis addressed Pombo on the House floor before Thursday's vote, putting Pombo's promise to help draft permanent protections for Florida into the Congressional Record.

"Can we have your assurances to work with the Florida delegation to find a solution that encourages and ensures no drilling or exploration will occur in the waters off the Florida coast against the wishes of that state?" Stearns said.

Bilirakis then asked Pombo to promise to "work with us to provide states the ability" to determine what type of exploration occurs off their coasts.

Pombo said he would.

"And we know you're a man of your word, Mr. Chairman," Bilirakis said.

[Last modified July 29, 2005, 00:52:10]